Korean Numbers: Sino-Korean and Native Korean 1 to 10

By Lachlan McRitchie

Updated July 2, 2026

Korean has two number systems: Sino-Korean (일 il, 이 i, 삼 sam) for dates, money, and minutes, and Native Korean (하나 hana, 둘 dul, 셋 set) for counting things, people, and the hour. Here are one to ten in both systems, and when to use each.

KoreanEnglish
one (Sino-Korean)il
two (Sino-Korean)i
three (Sino-Korean)sam
four (Sino-Korean)sa
five (Sino-Korean)o
six (Sino-Korean)yuk
seven (Sino-Korean)chil
eight (Sino-Korean)pal
nine (Sino-Korean)gu
ten (Sino-Korean)sip
하나one (Native Korean)hana
two (Native Korean)dul
three (Native Korean)set
four (Native Korean)net
다섯five (Native Korean)daseot
여섯six (Native Korean)yeoseot
일곱seven (Native Korean)ilgop
여덟eight (Native Korean)yeodeol
아홉nine (Native Korean)ahop
ten (Native Korean)yeol

Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch Korean shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.

Hear them in: Crash Landing on You, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Korean have two sets of numbers?
Sino-Korean numbers, borrowed from Chinese, are used for dates, money, minutes, phone numbers, and counting above one hundred. Native Korean numbers are used for counting things and people, telling the hour, and age, and only go up to ninety-nine.
Which Korean numbers should I learn first?
Learn one to ten in both systems early, since you use them daily. Native Korean shortens before a counter, so 하나 (hana) becomes 한 (han) in 한 개 (han gae, one item).

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